Credible sources say Junior Etou is visiting Tulsa this weekend
- Thread starter higgins3
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Imagine we Freeman came to RU because Etou went to Tulsa. Not likely to happen but fun to think about.
Tulsa did compete near the top of the AAC this year. I wonder if Etou's problem was academics and that's why he struggled on the court
Interesting view point....because I remember the comments about Etou on this board being dominated by Jordan not being able to develop his players.
Etou did struggle academically. He said so himself on one of The Rutgers Basketball Story episodes this season. He said he was ready to quit but Randi Larson helped get him on track.
Ex-Rutgers (1994-97) assistant Tom Abatemarco is at Tulsa. Abatemarco has assisted under some pretty good coaches - Rick Majerus, Lefty Dreisell, Lou Carnesecca, Jim Valvano.
Abatemarco bio at Tulsa site
Abatemarco bio at Tulsa site
I'm well aware of our limitations here, but leaving for Tulsa ? With huge minutes and a likely captaincy here ? Odd choice, IMHO.
its not really all that odd...Tulsa finished 2nd in the AAC and was a NCAA bubble team and made the NIT. If Etou stayed at RU he is guaranteed no post season his last two years and is likely looking at two more last place finishes in the Big 10 and sub 500 seasons. Tulsa is a better program than RU right now and if he goes there he has chance to play with a talented surrounding cast.
Etou might have decided that the academic load at Rutgers was affecting his game and thinking RU might not make the post season his last two years he might as well find a program that he can join that has a better chance and not be as strict academically .
But that's just my guess, others might be guessing a different reason and unless we know for sure : "Your guess is as good as mine."
But that's just my guess, others might be guessing a different reason and unless we know for sure : "Your guess is as good as mine."
I think he was just sick of losing. It should also help him graduate, he'll get another year to be on scholarship, I don't think he was going to finish in 4 years.
He seemed frustrated and disinterested this entire year. His game did not develop and he would be looking at two dismal years ahead. He would have been looked upon to be a leader on a really bad team and it doesn't seem like he has the ability nor does it appear to be his make-up. Leaving makes perfect sense. However, a lot of whether he takes advantage of a new program will be on his own shoulders at Tulsa or anywhere else.
Tulsa is a solid hoop program...especially now that they are in the AAC.
Here's what Tulsa Basketball has done since RU's last trip to the NCAA's on 1991:
9 NCAA Appearances
7 NCAA Round 32 Appearances
3 Sweet 16 Appearances
1 Elite 8
6 Regular Season Conf Titles
3 Conf Tourn Titles
As someone noted, Tulsa was a NCAA Bubble team last year, only because they started off slow in non-conf play but finished strong in conf play at 14-4.
Plus, all 4 of Tulsa's top scorers in 2015 were Juniors...so Tulsa will have one of the most experienced teams in 2016, (when Etou would be redshirting) so Haith will need immediate help in 2016-2017.
Frank Haith left Mizzou for Tulsa a year ago...and while some say he is a shady character, he is a winner (72-26 at Mizzou...he even had a winning record at Miami, not easy to do).
Tulsa is the best option he will potentially land with, but fans have a short term memory of what a program is all about.....Tulsa is by no stretch of anyone's imagination a destination for recruits and the AAC is far, very far from decent basketball as far as a league. If you take Memphis and UConn as elite programs away from that league, it has a Sun Belt Conference, or C-USA type of feel to it....yes, teams from that league make the NCAA's, but so does Alcorn State, Texas Southern, Northern Arizona and Weber State....None of those places hold a candle to RU in any aspect of player support and neither does Tulsa as well.
Etou developed a reputation as a person that wasn't willing to accept coaching or guidance from those around him.....it doesn't mean I agree that he didn't get a fair shake, I felt he could've been featured more, but coachability is also important in the kids you recruit.....talent is great, but can only get you so far, especially when you need to rebuild.....kids are in an old school word "hard-headed", and it doesn't mean they are bad kids or not capable, but they have certain mindsets that are going to be difficult to change and this was one of them.....he decided very late after last season to look around, despite the grass not being greener and did so again this year.
The kids that don't stick around are not guaranteed to win anything, winning is a product of your schedule and how good your league is....RU can go 15-0 in OOC, if they schedule soft enough and get breaks against Seton Hall and other locals on the schedule, but that doesn't prove much or have an impact on kids whether they leave or stay....Etou arrived at the programs lowest point, so to think an NCAA bid was 2 years away was never sold or presented in any way to a player arriving at RU.
Kids either want to ride coat-tails and claim they are part of a winning program and average 5 to 6PPG and get minutes in March that is quickly forgotten or they grind it out and develop their games and get a great degree at RU. Jack, Kone, Mack and now Lewis are on that path and that's what matters to me....Etou bouncing is OK, kids don't always understand what the bigger picture is and some do.
As far as any other kids that land here, if they play unseflish basketball and want to work hard and get a great degree, RU can have a winning program built on those principals first, as long as they play hard, defend and scrap for loose balls and rebounds. What will not matter is how highly ranked your recruits may be, if the kids aren't going to be pushed to do that OR perhaps think they should get a certain number of shots or want to be profiled as a player that they need to develop into first.
There are ways to go 10-22 or 15-17 or 18-14 and I don't know too many programs that make those steps forward without hard work and sacrifice and sharing the ball and doing the little things to get there. If Etou isn't going to buy it at 100%, then your team chemistry and locker room is never going to be quite right....even when a team is winning, there are those thinking their role on offense should be bigger and it gets progressively worse to change that mindset, when you drop 3,5 or 10+ in a row, to somehow avoid thinking "me first".....thats not saying that was Etou, but it's easy to get caught up and transferring typically doesn't solve the problem, you then become someone else's problem to correct.....maybe Haith and Tulsa are the remedy.
Etou developed a reputation as a person that wasn't willing to accept coaching or guidance from those around him.....it doesn't mean I agree that he didn't get a fair shake, I felt he could've been featured more, but coachability is also important in the kids you recruit.....talent is great, but can only get you so far, especially when you need to rebuild.....kids are in an old school word "hard-headed", and it doesn't mean they are bad kids or not capable, but they have certain mindsets that are going to be difficult to change and this was one of them.....he decided very late after last season to look around, despite the grass not being greener and did so again this year.
The kids that don't stick around are not guaranteed to win anything, winning is a product of your schedule and how good your league is....RU can go 15-0 in OOC, if they schedule soft enough and get breaks against Seton Hall and other locals on the schedule, but that doesn't prove much or have an impact on kids whether they leave or stay....Etou arrived at the programs lowest point, so to think an NCAA bid was 2 years away was never sold or presented in any way to a player arriving at RU.
Kids either want to ride coat-tails and claim they are part of a winning program and average 5 to 6PPG and get minutes in March that is quickly forgotten or they grind it out and develop their games and get a great degree at RU. Jack, Kone, Mack and now Lewis are on that path and that's what matters to me....Etou bouncing is OK, kids don't always understand what the bigger picture is and some do.
As far as any other kids that land here, if they play unseflish basketball and want to work hard and get a great degree, RU can have a winning program built on those principals first, as long as they play hard, defend and scrap for loose balls and rebounds. What will not matter is how highly ranked your recruits may be, if the kids aren't going to be pushed to do that OR perhaps think they should get a certain number of shots or want to be profiled as a player that they need to develop into first.
There are ways to go 10-22 or 15-17 or 18-14 and I don't know too many programs that make those steps forward without hard work and sacrifice and sharing the ball and doing the little things to get there. If Etou isn't going to buy it at 100%, then your team chemistry and locker room is never going to be quite right....even when a team is winning, there are those thinking their role on offense should be bigger and it gets progressively worse to change that mindset, when you drop 3,5 or 10+ in a row, to somehow avoid thinking "me first".....thats not saying that was Etou, but it's easy to get caught up and transferring typically doesn't solve the problem, you then become someone else's problem to correct.....maybe Haith and Tulsa are the remedy.
Rutgers problem plain and simple is the inability to recruit and keep players who have the skillset to successfully compete in the B1G.The same problem persisted during Rutgers membership in the Big East where they were a bottom tier team.The end result of decades of futility is lack of relevance with recruits .Teaching players to play hard sound nice but means very little when the game results in another loss.Winning matters in sports and Rutgers mens basketball is stuck in quicksand and there is no rope to pull them out.Etou is just the latest case of a lost opportunity.
RU's problem has been instability - in players, in coaches, in ADs, in a complete lack of institutional support for bball in general. People have to be a little patient. EJ wants to coach a certain way. He wants length and athleticism with guards getting in the passing lanes and players capable of playing multiple positions. The roster he inherited had no ability to play the way he wants to defensively. Hawk is absolutely right - he needs to get depth of "his" guys. He needs guys that will buy into his style and into his staff. While it would be great if those were highly-rated guys, I don't think that is his priority right now.
The sad part about Etou is that I think he has the skillset EJ wants, but clearly never truly bought in. I wish him luck and hope he does well wherever he ends up.
The sad part about Etou is that I think he has the skillset EJ wants, but clearly never truly bought in. I wish him luck and hope he does well wherever he ends up.
Patience has never been a virtue here.
We haven't had the cache for a LONG time to rebuild quickly. Wenzel did, but it didn't continue. Bannon had a start, but circumstances snuffed that candle out quickly. As solidly as Waters' teams did, it never translated into recruiting. FHJ, lets not discuss, Rice's splash was more flash than substance. EJ still hasn't had a splash.
Decision has to be made: Let Jordan build a program from the foundation, up (don't know if he will, even if given the time) or go for a big time hire (will be verrry expensive) and you will have a hard time getting your guy regardless.
Or, do we want to hope we get lucky?
We haven't had the cache for a LONG time to rebuild quickly. Wenzel did, but it didn't continue. Bannon had a start, but circumstances snuffed that candle out quickly. As solidly as Waters' teams did, it never translated into recruiting. FHJ, lets not discuss, Rice's splash was more flash than substance. EJ still hasn't had a splash.
Decision has to be made: Let Jordan build a program from the foundation, up (don't know if he will, even if given the time) or go for a big time hire (will be verrry expensive) and you will have a hard time getting your guy regardless.
Or, do we want to hope we get lucky?
None of us know.....
A coach will get 18-20 year olds with many personalities and almost all with egos. Identifying what makes them tick is VERY important. It is possible Etou just isn't coach able by any one or Jordan failed.
Don't remember exact quote, but Jordan said about Etou offensively that his job was to play D. I found that disturbing.
A coach will get 18-20 year olds with many personalities and almost all with egos. Identifying what makes them tick is VERY important. It is possible Etou just isn't coach able by any one or Jordan failed.
Don't remember exact quote, but Jordan said about Etou offensively that his job was to play D. I found that disturbing.
Fig, there isn't anything about Rutgers basketball that doesn't disturb you. By the way, what do you think of Eddie's choice of neckties? Do they "disturb" you?
23m23 minutes ago
Jon Rothstein @JonRothstein
Rutgers transfer Junior Etou will visit Xavier Wednesday and Thursday, source told @CBSSports. Visited Tulsa this past weekend.
Jon Rothstein @JonRothstein
Rutgers transfer Junior Etou will visit Xavier Wednesday and Thursday, source told @CBSSports. Visited Tulsa this past weekend.
The better question- is there anything we shouldn't be disturbed about?
The bad by far outweighs the good when it comes to the oncourt product relative to our peers. Or hadn't you noticed?
Yea, Shill, I noticed. I watch the games
However, what is most disturbing to me are the people (names I won't mention) who purport to be Rutgers "fans" and constantly piss and moan about everything under the sun but never seem to have any solutions. We are bombarded daily by these people who obviously enjoy ranting and raving but offer nothing to make things better. They hijack every thread possible and all they offer is the same, tired, trite crap that we have read ad nauseum.
Like I mentioned in another thread, if the negatoids are so upset by the state of things, do something. Go see Eddie, go see Julie, or Barchi. Give them a plan on a quick fix. I'm sure they will really appreciate it.
However, what is most disturbing to me are the people (names I won't mention) who purport to be Rutgers "fans" and constantly piss and moan about everything under the sun but never seem to have any solutions. We are bombarded daily by these people who obviously enjoy ranting and raving but offer nothing to make things better. They hijack every thread possible and all they offer is the same, tired, trite crap that we have read ad nauseum.
Like I mentioned in another thread, if the negatoids are so upset by the state of things, do something. Go see Eddie, go see Julie, or Barchi. Give them a plan on a quick fix. I'm sure they will really appreciate it.
Per Rothstein, Etou will be also be visiting Xavier this week.
If he should end up at Xavier, you can add another ex RU player to make the Dance with another school.
Xavier is almost a lock every year.
If he should end up at Xavier, you can add another ex RU player to make the Dance with another school.
Xavier is almost a lock every year.
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